PUPPY TRAIN BLOG

I enjoy trying and testing new things with pups and getting their first reactions to something new. This is a clip of training and how it starts with dogs. I used Brena (my Parker X Candy pup) to get her first reactions to this type training. She just stands there at first because she really doesn’t know what is happening or what all those boxes are. I had a lot of fun with this and Brena did a great job.
I think Brena will be a little more excited the next time she goes over to these boxes!!

Well just to let some know, I do websites for people breeding dogs.  I did my own website and it has grown from there to even a business (kennel boarding,daycare, grooming etc) Animal Resorts.  Animal Resorts comes complete with online reservations.   I just finished a new website and will publish that link as well.  So if anyone is interested in a website to sell pups, for dog training etc visit my website to view some of the sites.  This is the new website I just uploaded Heidenreich Kennel. Visit my website to see some of the sites I have done.  Sites By Cyd

In doing German Shepherd breeding and wanting to produce a large healthy litter of German Shepherd puppies, I am researching the value of having progesterone test.  I really didn’t feel I needed to worry about it having a German Shepherd stud living here with my females.  Although, so far my German Shepherd stud has gotten each of my females pregnant and several other females not belonging to me.  What has happened is getting some of the others pregnant second time around, they have bred to my stud before having a litter but failed to this time so I wanted to understand why, plus my breeding my one female to other studs and her not getting pregnant.  I have found out it happens to both people that have done progesterone testing and those that have not.  It did cause me to start doing my own research on the subject, as my Brandy has not gotten PG the last two times she was bred, once using progesterone test with an AI (artificial insemination) and another time to another stud, that I did not do progesterone tests before breeding, I basically used my stud to try to tell me on timing, and that didn’t work either with Brandy.

It was determined that this time I would use both my stud plus progesterone tests with Brandy, hopefully to tell me two things… #1 was my stud experienced enough to tell me Brandy was ovulating and #2 to try to give Brandy the best possible timing and due date of a litter I could get.  I will provide some of the links I used to make my decisions at the end of this post.  I had determined to get my first progesterone test on Brandy 7 days after she came into heat and that would be my starting point.  I chose that date as I have had progesterone tests on her before and felt that would be good timing to still be prior to ovulation based on the last 2 different heat cycles I had used them.  I couldn’t believe how tricky some females can be to try to get them PG.

One of the places I read stated that gave some insight and key things I listed was: Link to site

“The ovulation date can be as early as day 7 and as late as day 27 of the estrous cycle, emphasizing the importance of the blood test.”

“Once ovulated, a bitch’s eggs take approximately 48 hours to become fertile. They will then remain fertile for approximately 48 hours.”
“A bitch’s due date is 63 days from ovulation, regardless of breeding days”

This was also very interesting to me:

“Progesterone monitoring can also be important during gestation. Some bitches have a problem maintaining adequate levels of progest­erone during a pregnancy, usually resulting in resorbed or aborted fe­tuses. Monitoring progesterone levels is critical in bitches with such histories, as supplementation of progesterone at the proper times could mean the difference between live or dead puppies.”

The other site was very similar and stated this:  Link to site

“The key information breeders gain from progesterone testing is finding out when a bitch ovulates. This significantly increases the chance of a successful breeding.”
” Once you’ve confirmed ovulation with progesterone testing, you also know that a bitch’s due date is 62 to 64 days later,” Smith says.”

With both of these vets stating the information on the due date, I made my decision and Brandy was progesterone tested as planned 7 days after first blood….however what was not planned in that mix, was that my male bred her last night the evening prior to her first progesterone test.  I had the test done anyway I am hoping it tells me she did ovulate yesterday.  One thing I do know is that once I have that timing, and tests, there is no question as to when the litter should be born!

Brena did well on her sch1 small track, I was very pleased.  The first corner she found her way on her own, the second corner she didn’t but did listen to “nine” for wrong and once in the proper direction I told her again to “find it” which is the term I use.  Brena doesn’t even eat 1/3 of the jackpot food at the end of the track, in just these times of tracking she knows that tug is out there and you can see her pop up to look for it, so I grab the tug.  I will completely change things now with this particular pup as I am expecting her to go right past the jackpot of food and right to the tug if I don’t.

Brena is excited to track… she now knows when I put those boots on, tracking is what she will be doing.  I will switch Brena to my tracking lead and start walking about 4-6 foot behind her the next time we track… with the line under her front leg depending on the direction of the turns, will I decide the leg it will go under.  Some may wonder why I used a regular leash and walked off to the right side of Brena.  I use that leash to start her because that is what she is used to.  Brena has enough obedience that she is used to being on my left side just as heeling, so she is used to that, I wanted Brena to understand first what to do before she starts worring where I am and what I am doing, I believe she has that understanding, so I am hoping she won’t pay any attention now as to where I am once we get started with me walking behind her.

Video is one of the best ways for you to get needed information about your personal training with your puppy-dog.  I use video all of the time (I don’t save all my video), I go over the video immediately after I am done with my training session while everything is fresh in my mind, including all the errors I make.  The thing video does for me more than anything is to help me with the mistakes I am making as a handler, as well as much needed information about being able to read my puppy, that aids me in training.  I have used video for years, I believe it is my study of my video right after a training session while things are fresh in my mind, then visually seeing it over and over, that help give an edge in how to do things different the next time.  You then are testing your ability to read your puppy-dog and the communication or lack there of, by what you change and do the next time, if it produces positive results.  There are times I get stuck myself, then rely on a master trainer to help me with things.

I changed things with tracking for Brena, I really made things hard laying a small sch 1 track (regular close steps), but for a reason.  I wanted even more insight to my pup… I knew as long as things were kept happy and her reward (tug play) was at the end, she would like it no matter what.  For me, it told me several things about Brena that I wanted to know, like is she driven to track?, would she get frustrated and give up?, if she lost focus could she be started back on track again?  does she listen to the verbal approval when she does things right?.   Then I would look at myself, ok, what can I change to make this next track be a success all the way around, add heavy stomped in turns for longer distance once the turn is made?, add more food in areas I feel she starts to loose focus?  the words I use to encourage, she responds to this better than that?.  I then set my plan for the next track I lay, and if I was reading things properly, this puppy-dog should look pretty darn good, on the next sch 1 track… I think I learned a lot about my puppy..  time will tell on the next track ..:-)

Try videoing your training for yourself, no matter what the area tracking, obedience or protection… see where you can encourage yourself and your puppy-dog to be better.

Well it was training day…  Brena and her brother Thor got to do some protection work together.  They both did well….  Glad I have video of them, they are both training with obedience, protection and tracking towards Schutzhund titles.. 7 month old German Shepherd pups.

I did get video this morning of Brena tracking, I am very please… will start making the tracks a lot longer now.

I went to training today with Brena and of course we did some protection work… the other thing I was wanting was a side view picture of the pups.  Brena’s brother Thor (Buck) trains right after I am done.  David was kind enough to help get some new pictures of Brena and Buck/Thor, the pups are 7 months old now.   I have pictures at 5 months old of Beau/Jake and of Bria/Cady  I will add those were taken at 5 months old.. hope to replace them with new pictures of them at 7 months old.  Bandit was the first born and only picture I am missing…hope to get one of Bandit/Major sometime in the near future.

Sir Buck von Jacobs (Thor)

Brena von Jacobs

Sir Beau von Jacobs (Jake) at 5 months old

Bria von Jacobs (Cady) at 5 months

Well I kind of dreaded the thought of tracking with Brena….she is a pup that is not food driven, which just the thought of that made me kind of cringed at the thought of tracking.  The days have been great conditions for tracking, so I decided to see just what I was dealing with on Brena….and because she is not what I would call food driven I did decide to track her in the morning before she was to be fed.  To me a GSD should be a natural tracker, and with Brena 7 months old already and never tracked, I decided to find out just what I was dealing with, really expecting the full thing to be a flop.  I chose purposely not to go by the book for tracking.  I have watched this pup outside, she appeared to be a natural tracker just in seeing her play, run and investigate things the way she did.  Was I right or wrong.. that was more what I was out to see, I wanted to know if I knew what I was seeing in my pup. I purchased a dog food roll of what looked like bologna and cut it into pieces… now with Brena I gave her and the other dogs a piece first to make sure she would even eat it… knowing it was something totally different than anything I tossed them before… all the dogs caught the food, but immediately spit it on the floor… and investigated it first with their nose before consuming it the first time.  Once they ate that piece… it was toss, catch, and eat.  Brena of course does that with everything … even if the others are chowing it down because they know by the smell what it is before it is even tossed.  I was wondering if I would be dealing with my first pup to have to be taught to track with a ball or toy, if she wouldn’t track food.

As I said, I put this pup to the test doing nothing the way it should be…  I laid a choo choo type track dropping the food… did put her tug at the end just beyond the jackpot as an added reward should she get there.  You are supposed to lay a track into the wind, so basically the smell is always being blown in their face..  I purposely used a cross wind with any smell being blown across the track to the right.  I walked back to the house and got Brena… so a bit of an aging of the track as well and walked her out on the farm to the fields of about 8″ high grasses this time of year, where I laid the track.

Keeping a short leash I pointed to the start pad…telling her to track… then helped her understand by slowly moving my finger forward on the track for about 3′ and bam… she was off and tracking… the cross winds didn’t seem to bother her much at all.. and down to the jackpot and wow play tug to boot… she was one happy camper.  I was pleased, shocked and had to repeat the exercise this morning to make sure I saw what I saw…  and yep, this morning all I had to do was start her… same cross winds but she tracked on her own to the jackpot and toy!!   Wheeewwwwwww  I was happy and even more than that is the knowing that what should just be naturally there in her genetics is there!  So Brena is off and running with tracking.  I will get video soon of it, but I need less wind to be able to use my tripod for the camera, it has been to windy the last couple mornings.

German Shepherd Puppy Kentucky:  Brena is now 7 months old, she is a Parker x Candy pup.  Brena continues her training and is doing well.  Brena has a lot of energy for a German Shepherd puppy, but is willing to please for training tugs.  I just baught a ball launcher to start playing more ball with her.  My arm just can’t take it, so these cool slingshot type ball launchers are great.  Brena is good about going to get the ball…she just doesn’t always bring it back.  I am hoping that with several balls as this ball launcher holds 4 balls, that this German Shepherd puppy will learn to start bringing the ball back.  I will start working with her and see just how far I get.  Brena does love to run, and also loves something in her mouth while running… so those are good things.

I am looking forward to some new German Shepherd puppy litters as we move towards the summer, make sure and check the puppies tab and also our up and coming breedings.